Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The Profile Photo

David and Joyce Bock are old friends. David is one of the kindest and gentlest of men, and Joyce a font of energy and indefatigable good cheer. For years they have struggled with David's Parkinson's disease with great dignity and good humor.

A few years ago, David and Joyce attended a talk I gave, and Joyce took the photograph we have used in the weblog profile to the right.

I'm grateful to Joyce for having taken the photo, for it is, I think, me at my best. It goes without saying that I am not always at my best, which is one good reason for putting it on the weblog, even though doing so is presumptuous. For regularly coming upon this photograph does me a world of good. It reminds me of my place in the story, and that reminds me of the words Shakespeare put into the mouth of Enobarbus, redolent with a Christian meaning of which Enobarbus would have been ignorant, but with which Shakespeare was keenly conscious:

... he that can endureTo follow with allegiance a fallen lordDoes conquer him that did his master conquer,And earns a place i' the story.